Winter will soon be over, and as the frost thaws and the days become longer, family outdoor adventures become much more frequent. Spring is the ideal time of year to introduce your baby to the great outdoors - particularly April and May, the beautifully verdant window of time before the blistering heat of summer sets in. Allowing your baby to experience the wonders of nature will significantly impact their development, including improved cognitive functioning and greater motor coordination. Here are some suggestions for excellent family outdoor experiences your baby will love.
Take A Walk
Fun, refreshing and absolutely free, a brisk walk in your local park or nature reserve could be the perfect way to introduce your little one to the different local trees, flowers and animals. Remember that spring weather can be rather wet, so make sure you pack wellies, waterproof suits and a change of clothes just in case. You could even bring a bag of oats, birdseed or frozen peas and give the ducks a tasty treat.
Visit A Playground
A baby-safe playground can be an excellent environment for aiding your little one’s gross motor skills and social development. While not every playground is suitable for babies and toddlers, others have designated areas for smaller children. You may even find that your baby purely enjoys observing other children at play. It goes without saying but considering your baby will be keen to explore, ensure you supervise them at all times.
Garden Tummy Time
Tummy time is when you lay your little one on their stomach for brief periods of time so they can strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles and improve their motor skills. Begin with short sessions of 3-5 minutes and provide your baby with a range of toys to enhance their experience. During springtime, you could take your baby outdoors for tummy time, placing them on a picnic blanket or straight onto soft grass for a beneficial sensory experience.
Have A Picnic
There are few things more enjoyable than a leisurely springtime picnic. Due to soaring temperatures, summer picnics can result in irritations such as spoilt food and melted ice cream. Furthermore, long periods of time spent outdoors during heat waves can also result in sunburn and heat-related illnesses, which can be incredibly dangerous for babies. Play it safe by getting your fill of picnic fun while the weather is still relatively mild.
Go To The Beach
Your baby’s first time at the beach will be a joyous experience for everyone involved. A day at the beach invariably results in treasured memories - building sand castles, splashing in the shallow waves and enjoying quality family time. The sand and sea will provide brand-new sensory experiences that help develop new connections in their brain through play. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen, a tent for shade and several pairs of clean, dry baby socks for the journey home.
Play With Bubbles
Simple, cheap and low-effort, a tub of bubbles can provide your little one with a profoundly enjoyable experience. Bubbles ignite curiosity within babies, assisting hand-eye and foot-eye coordination development as they reach out to catch and pop the floating orbs. Eventually, your baby will learn how to blow bubbles for themselves, which is beneficial for their jaw and mouth muscles, aiding language development. You could even purchase a bubble machine or a giant bubble wand for extra fun.
Outdoor Messy Play
Messy play in all forms is highly beneficial for multiple areas of development. Messy play helps to build fine motor control, problem-solving skills, social and emotional development and much more. The beauty of setting up messy play activities outdoors is you don’t have to worry about clean-up quite as much. Place a bow-up paddling pool on a soft patch of grass and fill it with water, sand, shaving foam or something edible like jelly or cereal. Add some plastic cups, spoons and bowls, and you’re good to go.
Tend The Garden/Allotment
Nature enthusiasm begins young. You can encourage your children to be passionate about the environment by getting them involved from day one. If you have a veg or flower garden at home, include your little one in the watering process and watch as your greenery grows over time. Once your baby reaches toddlerhood, involvement in gardening will teach them patience and inspire them to try new foods.
